The Chemistry Club organizes a number of activities throughout the school year.  The following is a summary of some of the main ones.

Socials

Socials are informal get-togethers of chemistry students and professors. The goal of socials is to allow the interaction of chemistry students with each other and with faculty in a relaxed environment. There typically are 2-3 socials per year, usually scheduled for Friday afternoons. All faculty members are invited, and those who can attend are glad to share their knowledge and experience with students. Light snacks and drinks are provided; people may come and leave as they please.

Graduate Panel Discussion

A graduate panel discussion is a meeting of students and professors designed as a Q&A session. Its aim is to answer the questions that students may have about applying to graduate school in chemistry. It is conducted by ChemClub jointly with AIChE. The event takes place in the second half of the third term, usually at noon, and lunch is provided. All faculty members are invited, and those who are available talk about the qualities that they consider important for a strong application, and answer questions about other aspects of applying to graduate school. This is a unique opportunity to obtain exclusive advice on graduate school applications from Caltech professors. Also, a few seniors in chemistry are typically asked to share their experience of applying to graduate school and to give advice to current juniors.

Guest Lecture

Annually, ChemClub invites a distinguished chemist who has not recently visited Caltech to give a lecture about his/her research. These lectures introduce undergraduates to research done by renowned scientists at an understandable level. The speakers make an effort to make their presentations clear to undergraduates. The lecture typically takes place in May. The undergraduates are additionally notified by e-mail and posters. If the speaker’s schedule permits, interested undergraduates are invited to a dinner with him/her after the lecture and/or to an informal conversation.

Ch/ChE Showdown

 Ch/ChE showdown is (usually) a student-only event designed to help hesitant freshmen to decide between Ch and ChE options. It usually takes place in the winter term, before the freshmen need to declare their options. It is conducted by ChemClub jointly with AIChE. A chemistry and a chemical engineering student (juniors or seniors) give  a presentation about the two options: the course requirements, the spirit, the typical schedules, the areas mastered and career opportunities. After the presentations, the students are welcome to ask panelists questions about the details and to inquire about their reasons for choosing Chemistry over Chemical Engineering or vice versa. The event takes place at noon and lunch is provided.